Conventional digital video encoding includes the compression of a source video using a compression algorithm. The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1, MPEG-2, H.261, H.262, H.263 and H.264 video coding standards each describe a syntax of the bitstream that is generated following application of the compression algorithm to the source video. The data in video streams is often redundant in space and time, thus video streams may be compressed by removing the redundancies, and encoding only the differences. For example, a blue sky background across the top of a picture may persist for several frames of a video stream, while other objects move in the foreground. It would be redundant to encode the background of each frame since it remains the same. The moving foreground objects also have redundancies. For example, a jet airplane that moves across a frame may appear the same from frame to frame, with only its position changing. In this case, the jet airplane does not need to be encoded in every frame, only its change in position needs to be encoded.